Which tools did you use for the creation of this piece?
Scissors, X-ACTO knife, adhesive, rubber brayer, paper and photo ephemera.
I love the moment when the landscape finally comes together after hours of looking and searching. It feels like magic to see photographs link together.
What was the creative process behind it, from the beginning until it was finished?
This collage began with a single photograph. From there I worked in obsessive quiet, shuffling through found photographs and paper ephemera to build a connected but impossible landscape. Knowing when a collage is finished is a tricky thing. When I’m unsure, I often start removing pieces of paper and see the final piece emerge.
What were your references, influences or inspirations during your creative process?
With this piece, I returned to my collection of vintage magazines to pull colors and textures to help me build a scene that somehow feels both dreamy and real.
What was the hardest part of the process?
The patience and focus required to glue each piece of paper down is always a struggle for me. I hold my breath and hope everything lines up!
Mary Lamb is a collage artist and zine maker living in Charlottesville, VA. Her work involves curation and accumulation– the cutting and assembling of found photographs, recycled papers, ephemera, and vintage magazines to create new stories & queer histories, real or imagined.